Before the Dawn
by Lady Emily
Summary: What if she was too late? Nancy/Frank. Finally complete!
1. Fresh Eyes

Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys, and am not making any profit from the writing of this story.

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"Do you see any patterns here, Hannah?"

Hannah Gruen, housekeeper of the Drew household, squinted over the papers, maps, and photographs spread out on the desk for a long moment. "Patterns like what?" she asked finally.

Nancy Drew folded her arms over her chest and blew a strand of hair out of her face in frustration. "I don't know! I feel like I've hit a dead end on this case already! Chief McGinnis asked me to consult on this string of robberies, but they're never in the same part of town, the same time of night, not even the same type of store... There's no common M.O. We're not going to catch these guys if we're missing a link, and I just don't see one."

"There, there." Hannah patted the agitated girl on the back. "Why don't you take a break? I'll make some coffee, you can have a slice of the pie I made yesterday, relax, and come back to it later with fresh eyes."

"That sounds good, Hannah." Nancy admitted, sinking down on her bed. "Fresh eyes... _fresh eyes!_" She sat up suddenly. "That's it! I'll call Frank, he's so good at this sort of thing." She glanced quickly at the clock. Ten-thirty. Not too late to call. "You're brilliant, Hannah!"

Hannah quickly hid her knowing smile at Nancy's abrupt change in mood upon the arrival of Frank Hardy into the conversation. Hannah had met Frank and his brother Joe several times and thought they were both very nice young men- Frank was certainly a perfect gentleman, and quite as good a detective as her Nancy. And Nancy- Hannah had seen for years that this girl she had come to think of as a daughter had special feelings for the older Hardy in particular, and vice versa. Although Nancy, Frank, and Joe had known each other since childhood, it was Frank who always seemed particularly protective of Nancy. The two touched subconsciously- a hand on the arm, a head on the shoulder- without even seeming to realize it. They'd even made a habit of finishing each other's sentences, working together in perfect tandem. If anyone could help Nancy with her present dilemma, Hannah had no doubts Frank would be the one. In fact, Hannah thought slyly, there were probably a few other problems Frank could help her solve too, if they weren't both too stubborn to acknowledge their feelings for each other!

"You're welcome, dear. I'll run down and get the coffee. Tell Frank I said hi." Hannah left the door open a crack to make sure she wouldn't intrude at an inopportune moment later, although she knew that while on a case, Nancy and Frank would both stay strictly focused on business.

Nancy crossed her legs and took a deep breath before dialing Frank's cell phone number... which went straight to voicemail. Nancy dialed it one more time, with the same result, before sitting up straight, her face creased with worry. Frank always kept his cell phone on. She remembered that he'd called her last week for help on a case of his own, but she hadn't heard from him since then. Was he still busy with the investigation? She could think of one person who would know, and quickly dialed Joe's number, sighing in relief when it, at least, began to ring.

"Hello?"

Nancy started in surprise at the unexpected female voice. "Hi, this is Nancy Drew, I'm trying to reach Joe-"

"Nancy! It's me, Vanessa." Nancy had met Joe's girlfriend Vanessa on her last trip to Bayport and the girls had instantly hit it off. "I'm sorry, but Joe's finally getting some decent sleep for the first time in five days. I stole his phone so he wouldn't wake up."

"Five days!" Nancy repeated. A feeling of dread crept into her. "What happened to Joe? Is he okay?"

"I think he's okay, just tired and anxious." Vanessa reassured her. "Frank's condition is taking its toll on everyone, but especially Joe, of course. He's barely slept a wink since Frank was kidnapped and now that Frank's... well..."

Nancy was still absorbing Vanessa's last sentence when her reluctance to finish the next caught her stunned attention. "Frank's... condition?" she repeated through lips that suddenly felt numb. "Now that Frank is what?" She almost heard it in the silence on the line. _Dying._ _Please don't say dying._

Vanessa made a slightly strangled sound as she realized that Nancy had not heard the news. "Oh, Nancy... I didn't mean to tell you like that, I thought you knew. I thought someone must have told you."

"Told me what?" There was a muffled sob from the girl on the other end and the vague feeling of dread Nancy had experienced earlier hardened into a cold lump of fear. Vanessa was crying. "Vanessa, please!"

"I'm so sorry, Nancy." Vanessa was saying, audibly trying to keep her voice steady. "Frank was kidnapped last week, and he somehow sustained some sort of... knife wounds... and by the time Joe and Fenton got to him they were... infected, and he'd lost so much blood..."

"Van... is he..." Nancy was gripping the phone so hard her knuckles were white. "Will he be...?"

"He's at the hospital now, and he's being treated... Oh, but Nancy, the doctors say they've never seen a more stubborn infection, and with lying on the floor in some dirty basement for three days... It's not good, Nancy."

Nancy's mind was in a whirl. "Okay." she said, almost mechanically. "Okay. Thank you. Bye." Her hands were shaking so badly that she dropped her cell phone before she could hang it up. She picked it up and tried again, this time successfully. She sat for a moment on her bed, breathing deeply and trying to collect herself.

Hannah entered with two cups of steaming coffee. As soon as she set eyes on Nancy, she set the cups on the desk and hurried to her, putting a warm hand on her forehead. "Nancy! Are you all right? You look as if you've seen a ghost!" She had never seen the poor girl so pale, and trembling! "Are you sick?"

Nancy pushed Hannah's hand away. "It's Frank." she said flatly. "He's in the hospital. It's serious."

Hannah made a sympathetic noise and sat next to her on the bed, pulling the young woman into her arms and stroking her hair. "Now, now. Frank's a strong young man. He'll be all right in the long run. Everything's going to be okay, my girl."

After a moment of relaxing into her embrace, Nancy whispered into Hannah's shoulder, "I have to go."

"I'm sure he's in good hands, Nancy." Hannah soothed. "He wouldn't want you running out in the middle of the night..."

Nancy rose and went to her closet, pulling out a heavy jacket and draping it around herself. "I have to go to him." she repeated. "I have to... I have to tell him-" Her voice broke.

Hannah's heart broke with it, and she nodded mutely. "The airport." she suggested finally. "Grab a flight to New York City. I'll tell your father when he gets home, and Chief McGinnis if he calls."

Nancy was packing her wallet and a change of clothes into a tote bag. She turned to the housekeeper and pecked her on the cheek. "Thank you, Hannah."

"You just call home tomorrow and tell us where you are." Hannah reminded her softly.

"I will." Nancy whispered. She picked up her bag and fled the room. Hannah sank down on her bed, listening to the front door slamming, and Nancy's car roaring to life in the street outside.

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A/N: Please review!


	2. Too Late For What?

Arriving at the airport two hours before the next plane to New York boarded left Nancy far too much time to think. Sitting penitently in the hard plastic seat of the gate lounge, she stared out at the runway without seeing, instead wondering how this could be happening... and at the same time, wondering how it had never happened before. She knew the Hardys solved a ton of cases without her, and she solved just as many without them. She had been injured countless times- how many times had Frank or Joe been hospitalized without her knowing? How grim would the situation have to be before someone called her with news that one of her best friends had been hurt? If she hadn't happened to call Bayport herself, would no one have told her of Frank's condition until it was too late?

_Too late. Too late for what?_

Nancy muffled a dry sob with the newspaper she was pretending to be reading. Would she even have done anything differently if she'd known about Frank's kidnapping from the first? Even if she'd been there for him, what could she have done? Did she even have the right to go to him now, when his situation was so grave, and he could be spending his last minutes surrounded by his heartbroken parents, and the brother who idolized him? And his girl- patient, beautiful Callie who tolerated his hazardous lifestyle because she loved him so... she would be there too, hovering over him like an angel and smoothing the hair away from his face...

At that moment a rush of envy flowed through her. _You have no right to complain, Nancy Drew. That could have been you, if you'd wanted it._

Tears burned, unshed, in her eyes as she recalled the night of Frank's sixteenth birthday.

"_Happy birthday dear Fra-ank. Happy birth-day to yooou!"_

"_Make a wish!" someone called._

_Nancy clapped with the rest of the guests as Frank rolled his eyes good-naturedly at the singing before bending down to blow out the candles on the cake. He took a deep breath and looked up at Nancy. Their eyes met, and Nancy read some kind of meaning in his gaze, something she'd never noticed in him before. She looked away quickly as Frank extinguished all sixteen candles with one breath. _

_Nancy thanked Joe as he handed her a piece of cake and a fork, then turned and slipped out of the crowded dining room. Looking for a place to eat it, her eyes fell upon the wide porch railing just outside the back door. She yanked on the sliding door, but it didn't budge._

"_It's locked." Frank said, coming up behind her, his own cake in hand. He reached around her and turned the latch, and the door slid open easily. _

"_Thanks." Nancy said, feeling unaccountably stupid. Since when did she care about embarrassing herself in front of Frank Hardy? She'd known him since they were practically in diapers. She stepped outside into the unseasonably warm, dusky air and rested her plate on the railing. Frank followed, situating himself next to her. She lifted her first forkful of cake in a toast to him. "Happy birthday." she said teasingly. "Sixteen. Wow. When are you taking your test?"_

_Frank grinned at her, then looked out over the lawn. "Next week." he answered coolly._

"_Promise to take me for a drive once you get it?" she needled. She knew perfectly well that Frank __was equal parts excited and gut-clenchingly nervous for his impending driver's license test._

"_If __I__ get it." Frank said cautiously. "Then I promise. I'll drive all the way to River Heights to pick you up." he laughed._

"_You'll get it." she assured him. "Now, Joe, on the other hand... I won't feel safe with him behind the wheel until he's thirty!"_

"_And maybe not even then." Frank finished, and they both broke up laughing._

_They ate for a while in companionable silence, until Nancy noticed that Frank was watching her out of the corner of his eye. "What?"_

"_What?" Frank returned innocently._

"_What are you looking at?" Nancy clarified, turning to face him and suddenly realizing that she had to look up at him. "And when did you get so tall?"_

_Frank shrugged. "You've barely seen me in person this past year." he answered, avoiding the original query. "You didn't think you'd be taller than me forever, did you? And Joe's catching up too."_

_Nancy sighed, leaning on the railing with both hands. "I miss not having you guys around so much anymore." Nancy and the boys had spent a lot of time together as children because their fathers, Fenton Hardy and Carson Drew, often collaborated on cases. Now that Fenton had become a licensed private detective, his work kept him closer to home and thus Frank and Joe spent less time in River Heights, Nancy's hometown, than ever before._

"_I miss being around." Frank agreed. "The phone's just not the same." Nancy and the boys shared a passion for solving mysteries, and it wasn't uncommon for one to call the other for a second opinion or to share the exciting details of a new case. They kept in touch often, but it was hardly the same as being physically there for each other. He finished his cake, put down the empty plate, and leaned on the rail just as Nancy had done. In a stroke of boldness, he'd rested his left hand over her right._

_Nancy's eyes jumped to his in the growing darkness. "Frank..." she started, a tone of warning in her voice._

"_Nan..." _

_His voice was low and serious, and Nancy blinked at the unexpected gravity of his tone. She gently tried to remove her hand from his but he held it firmly. "What are you doing, Frank?"_

_Frank raised his other hand in a placating gesture. "It's just, give me a minute, Nancy. There's just something I wanted to say."_

_Half of Nancy felt like breaking away and running as far from him as she could. The other, more frightening half nearly succumbed to the urge to step forward, into his space... into his arms. She remained rooted to the spot. "Okay?" she finally managed._

"_I've been thinking lately." Frank began slowly, running his free hand through his hair in a familiar __gesture. "About us."_

_Nancy felt an anxiety churning in her stomach, and another feeling, something... warm, and mysterious. "Frank, don't." She watched in mute fascination as Frank entwined their fingers together. The motion felt strange and new, yet, somehow, perfectly natural._

"_Why not, Nancy? We're best friends, aren't we? And... and sometimes, I think, we could be more." He held up their clasped hands and took a tiny step towards her. She didn't lean away. "Times like now, for instance." He lowered his chin and searched her eyes. _

_She wondered what they were telling him._

"_Frank..." she breathed, when the silence between them became deafening. "You ARE my best friend, but... I mean..." She trailed off, watching his eyes close as he leaned in to kiss her. Despite herself, her eyes closed too._

_She couldn't have said what would have happened if Frank's Aunt Gertrude hadn't chosen that moment to flip on the porch lamp, casting the darkened porch into shadowy illumination and causing Frank and Nancy to jump apart, startled and embarrassed. _

"_Frank, dear! You are out there!" Gertrude exclaimed through the open kitchen window, taking in the scene with her eagle eyes. She cast a disapproving frown at Nancy, which deepened when the girl blushed hotly. "Come inside, Frank, it is your party after all."_

"_I'll be in in a minute, Aunt Gertrude." Frank promised, running his hand through his hair once more._

"_Okay then." Gertrude assented, shutting the window with an obnoxious thud._

_Frank focused once more on Nancy, who couldn't help noticing the way the dim light cast shadows over his handsome features. "Nancy." he murmured, "I guess what I'm trying to ask is, will you be my girl?"_

_His girl. Nancy bit her lip. "Frank, I don't know if this is a good idea." she said all at once. "I mean, we live so far apart, and we don't see each other that often, and don't you think we're a little young for a long-distance relationship?"_

"_No." Frank said seriously. "I think we could do it... if you felt the same about me as I do about you."_

_Nancy's throat closed. Was Frank Hardy actually asking her how she felt about him? Emotionally?! "Frank... You know I care about you. A lot." she began seriously, with all the honest wisdom of a fifteen year old. "Like I said, you're the best friend I've got. And..." And I'm attracted to you. The words went unspoken- she couldn't quite bear to say them. "But-"_

"_But what?"_

"_What if we screw up?" Nancy challenged. "What if we break up and then we're not friends anymore? Isn't it better to just keep what we've got? What's wrong with the way our friendship is now?"_

"_Well... nothing." Frank admitted. He gave her hand a final squeeze and dropped it. "Maybe you're right, Nan. You usually are." he acknowledged with a half-smile. _

_This time it was Nancy who reached out, putting a warm hand on Frank's arm. "I don't mean to hurt your feelings, Frank. I hope you understand..."_

"_You haven't, Nan." Frank replied lightly. "And I do understand. I always do, don't I?"_

"_That you do." Nancy agreed with a smile, taking the friendly arm he offered her as he moved to rejoin the party. _

She had never spoken of that night to anyone, nor had he, as far as she knew. It was obvious to her now that she'd had feelings for him then, and those feelings had only grown stronger with time. How would things be different if she'd said yes to him on that night, over four years ago?

Well, she never would have had Ned, or lost him, for that matter. Frank wouldn't have gotten together with Callie. And someone- _someone-_ surely would have called her when Frank had gone missing!

"Miss? Miss, are you okay?"

Nancy was shaken from her reverie by an airline stewardess crouching by her chair. She looked around the empty lounge- the rest of the waiting passengers had formed a line at the gate. How had two hours passed so quickly? "Sorry, what?"

"It's the final boarding call." the stewardess explained, a concerned look on her face. "Would you like some water or something? You're white as a sheet."

Nancy quickly stood and gathered her belongings. "I'm fine, thank you." she lied before taking her place in line.

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A/N: Sorry for the chapter lengths- I know they're short, but I'm breaking them into bite size pieces so I can have them up ASAP. Thanks so much to all the readers, and **especially** to everyone who reviewed. Keep it up and I promise to crank this thing out way faster than my usual updating speed!


	3. Vanessa

The plane ride was under two hours long, but Nancy felt every minute of it. After her revelations in the airport, she was left with nothing but a guilty conscience and a heavy heart, tortured by the thought that any moment could be Frank's last. And even if she got there before he...- what would she say to him? Would he even be able to hear her if she managed to muster up the apology he deserved? Or would his family refuse to let her see him, and leave her to sit in the waiting room while they stayed with him to the end? Well, it would be more than she deserved, she thought ruefully. And that's just what she would do, if need be.

It was nearly six in the morning when Nancy finally reached Bayport Memorial Hospital. Her steps echoed loudly down the sterile, silent halls, and by the time she approached the nurse on duty, she could hear her own heartbeat pounding like a bass drum in her ears. "Excuse me." she began, gripping the edge of the nurses' station with both hands for stability. Her voice was watery with tears and terror, but she pushed on. "I'm looking for a patient named Frank Hardy."

"Of course, dear." the matronly nurse entered the name into her computer and waited for the results.

Nancy's heartbeat increased in tempo as she waited for the fateful proclamation. _ What if the nurse looked at her with sad eyes and told her, "I'm sorry dear, Mr. Hardy passed on just last night"?_ What would she do? What would she say?

"...stable." the nurse said.

Nancy could barely hear the woman over her pounding heart. "Excuse me?"

"I said, Mr. Hardy is in stable condition." The nurse said again. She smiled warmly at the disoriented-looking girl. "Room 201. You can see him in three hours when visiting hours begin."

_Visiting hours! Stable condition!_ Nancy felt stunned. He was stable. Stable enough to be out of the E.R., where visiting hours were most lenient. Her knees felt weak with relief and she wiped away the tears that began leaking from her eyes without warning.

"Nancy!"

Nancy turned at the sound of her name. Vanessa Bender was standing there, looking tired, but presentable, and smiling at her with tears sparkling in her gray eyes. Nancy all but collapsed into her arms. "Vanessa!"

"You came." Vanessa whispered into Nancy's hair, awe in her voice.

"How did you know I would be here?" Nancy whispered back, holding the taller girl tightly.

Vanessa gave a watery laugh and released her, leading her to one of the waiting room chairs and sitting beside her, keeping their hands tightly clasped. "It's what I would have done, if it had been Joe." she said, still staring at Nancy in wonder. "Oh, Nancy, your voice on the phone, it was awful. Somehow, I knew you'd be here as soon as you could."

Nancy scrubbed a hand over her face. "I was afraid if I waited, he would die." she murmured.

Vanessa folded the smaller girl in her arms. "I'm so sorry... apparently he started responding to the medication soon after you called. The doctors said the worst was over. Once he was stable, Fenton and Laura went home to get some sleep."

"Callie too?" Nancy asked quietly, resting her head on Vanessa's shoulder.

"Callie too." Vanessa confirmed hesitantly, as it had occurred to her in that moment that Callie would not be happy to see Nancy. "Lately she and Frank haven't been... well... She's been pretty upset, Nancy, because... well, he'd been asking for _you_."

"He was?" Nancy breathed. She felt adrift on a turbulent sea of emotion, every wave a new and terrifying hope or fear, threatening to capsize her for good.

"It's a lot to take in, Nancy." Vanessa deftly sidestepped the uncomfortable subject. "I know you haven't slept tonight. Lie down. I promise to wake you the minute you can see Frank."

Suddenly overcome with fatigue, Nancy was unable to argue.

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A/N: Short chapter even by my standards, but at least you're all reassured as to Frank's condition! Please review and tell me what you think!


	4. A Hard Night

She was shaken awake, gently. "Nancy, it's half past eight." Vanessa was whispering as Nancy sat up straight.

Nancy's back cracked and she groaned. "Visiting hours don't start until nine." she said, quickly becoming alert.

"I know." Vanessa said. "But I thought you might want to see Frank before the rest of his family gets here. And-" she raised a devious eyebrow. "I know a nurse."

"I think I know why Joe loves you." Nancy said admiringly, trying as best she could to smooth her tangled hair.

"Well if he didn't spend so much time in the hospital I wouldn't have to be so sneaky." Vanessa retorted with a pleased grin. "Listen, Nan, Frank probably won't be awake."

Nancy nodded. Frank was generally an early riser but she knew she couldn't count on him being awake now, after such an incredible toll had been taken on his body. "I know. Of course I wouldn't dream of waking him. I just want to see him."

Vanessa nodded, putting her arm around Nancy's shoulders and leading her to Frank's room. The young male nurse on duty winked at Vanessa and let them pass. Vanessa smiled and shrugged at Nancy's incredulous glance. She waited as Nancy placed a hand on the doorknob, steeling herself to enter. "I'm going to wait back in the lounge." she said, giving Nancy's shoulders one last squeeze.

Nancy turned the knob and slipped into the room as silent as could be. Frank lay motionless in the bed, giving no sign of having heard her come in. She sat in the chair beside him and just watched him breathe in and out for a long moment. In the dim room he looked pale and cold, and she bit her lip to keep the tears from returning. Sweaty hair stuck to his brow, and purple bruises had formed under his eyes, giving him a worn, beaten look.

Finally she leaned forward and placed a shaking hand over his on the bed, just as he had done to her on the porch all those years ago. His hand was too warm, the fever from the infection obviously not having subsided completely. It was nearly ten minutes before he even stirred. Nancy held her breath as his eyes opened and he looked at her blankly. He squeezed his eyes shut and opened them again, shaking his head fitfully in obvious disbelief.

She rubbed her thumb over his wrist in a soothing motion, not wanting to wake him if he really was still asleep, but his eyes became focused and he squinted at her in the darkness. He finally appeared to convince himself he wasn't dreaming.

"Are you really here?" his voice was hesitant, and raspy, like he hadn't used it in days.

"I'm here." she confirmed softly.

"Why... did you come?" He turned his hand under hers so their palms met, then hooked his thumb around her fingers, as though he thought she'd disappear if he didn't hold on. His grip was loose and weak.

Nancy searched herself for an answer. "Frank... I came because I care about you. I didn't know until last night that-" her voice cracked, but she soldiered on. "-that you were hurt. I came as soon as I knew..."

Frank closed his eyes tiredly and nodded, as if content with her answer. Weakly, he moved his hand over hers, his grasp growing slightly firmer. "If this isn't real..." he whispered.

Did he think she was a dream? A delusion of the fever? "It's real, Frank. I promise." she whispered back. She used her other hand to push the hair off his forehead, resting her cool fingers on the feverish skin. She noticed a pitcher of water and a glass on the nightstand. "Do you want some water?"

Frank nodded, opening his eyes again. His eyes held the same wonder as Vanessa's had when she realized Nancy had actually come all the way to Bayport. He reluctantly let her hand slip from his as she moved to pour the water. "I can't believe... you're here." his voice was getting stronger now, and he struggled to sit up enough for Nancy to hold the glass to his lips.

She perched gently on the side of his bed to be close enough to reach him. Her hands were steady as she guided the glass to his mouth, one hand holding the glass, the other tentatively supporting his head. When he had taken several sips she set down the glass and went to get off the bed, but Frank shook his head. "Stay." He moved his arm to rest between her and the edge of the bed.

His disbelief at her presence bothered her more than anything else. "Frank..." Nancy said, willing her voice to be calm. "You had to know that I would come if I knew you were sick. I'm sure all your other friends have been here."

"I...think so." Frank confirmed. "But... more than that... Nancy."

Her heart stilled when he said her name for the first time. "They said you asked for me." she said with a small smile.

"I... did." He was watching her with a look of longing, and she knew, if someone were watching them now, they would see her looking the same way at him.

"Frank..." she whispered again. "Callie-"

"...Just friends." Frank forced out. He reached for her hand once again and brought it to his face. "Callie... never took... your place, Nan."

Nancy didn't know what to say. The barriers between them were crumbling like the walls of Jericho, and she didn't know what to do with the freedom she suddenly felt. "Oh, Frank, I thought you were dying." she whispered, a pair of tears rolling down her face.

"...Thought so too." Frank admitted with a weak smile, his eyes never leaving hers. "But not anymore. Don't be... too upset."

"Too upset!" was Nancy's hushed cry. "Frank Hardy, you scared me half to death!"

"Next time... I have a near-death experience... I'll leave a note."

Nancy laughed at his joke and two more tears streamed down her cheeks. "That's not funny." she half-sobbed, wiping her eyes with the side of her hand. "I almost lost you."

"Lost me?" Frank repeated, shaking his head. "You couldn't."

"I came to tell you something I should have realized earlier." Nancy whispered. "So you would know, before you died... I love you, Frank. I have for a long time." She picked at the weave in his blanket for a long moment while she waited for him to respond. When he didn't, she peered up at him shyly.

She'd never seen a man in a hospital bed look so... content. There was a pleased gleam in his eyes that somehow erased the bruises, the pallor of his skin. "Now that I'm _not_ dying," he said in a dark, husky voice, "do you still love me?"

"Of course!" she replied, stunned. It was not until she heard his rasping laugh that she realized he'd been teasing her. "I deserve that." she acknowledged with a rueful smile.

Frank immediately looked remorseful. "It's been... a hard night for you, hasn't it Nan?"

"Not as hard as it's been for you, by the looks of it." Nancy returned lightly, gesturing to the tubes and machines positioned carefully around the bed. Gingerly, and without disturbing any tubes or wires, Nancy leaned forward, resting one forearm on each side of his head, and kissed him deeply.

"I'm sorry, Frank. I shouldn't be doing this here." she said when she finally pulled back, but she couldn't stop herself from dropping a last quick peck on the corner of his mouth.

"...Sorry?" Frank laughed. He reached up and tenderly tucked her hair behind her ear, bringing his hand to rest on the back of her neck. "I love you too, Nan." he said, suddenly serious. His fevered touch heated her skin as he tugged her down for one last, lingering kiss.

They were interrupted by the sound of a door opening and then quietly closing. "My parents." Frank guessed. "Joe... would have come right in."

Nancy checked the clock- it was 9:05. "I should let them visit." Nancy said, rising reluctantly. "I'll be back."

"Thanks for coming, Nan." Frank said, gripping her hand as she pulled away.

She raised his hand to her lips and kissed it. "I'm not going anywhere." He had somehow started to look like his usual self, she thought as she looked at him fondly. She suddenly remembered how the night had started in the first place. "And remind me later that I have a case file for you to look at."

"Can't wait." he answered sincerely, with the slow half-grin that always sent warmth rushing to her cheeks.

She slipped out of the room. Vanessa's nurse, standing behind the nursing station desk, looked up from his clipboard and gave her a smile. "Everything all right?" he asked, gesturing to the door she had just closed.

Nancy smiled back at him, nodding.

"Everything is perfect."

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A/N: What do you think? Stay tuned for one last chapter, featuring Joe's, Laura's, and Callie's reactions to Nancy's arrival, and for a totally unrelated Christmassy F/N oneshot I'm planning to post on Christmas Eve! Please review!


	5. Meshing the Worlds

A/N: I have no excuse as to what took me so long with this last chapter, except to say that I wrote about four-fifths of it and stalled out... for about a month and a half. Sorry for the long wait, guys, and thanks for continuing to read. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Not mine.

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No sooner had Nancy reentered the lounge than Joe leaped out of his seat beside Vanessa and greeted her with a hug. "Good to see you, Nance."

"You too." Nancy answered, squeezing him tightly. "I would have come sooner if I'd known." she chided softly.

Joe pulled back slightly, keeping his hands on her shoulders. "I'm sorry. I should have called you." he admitted.

Really looking at Joe for the first time, Nancy could see that he was worn with grief and anxiety. The bags under his eyes bore a faint resemblance to Frank's bruises, and she felt immediately remorseful for complaining. "I don't blame you, Joe. I know you had bigger things to worry about." she spontaneously pulled him in for another quick hug. "How are you holding up?"

"Fine, now that Frank's on the mend." Joe replied. "How is he? Was he really talking? Could he understand you?"

Joe's earnest questioning almost broke Nancy's heart. The thought of sitting by Frank's hospital bed talking to him while he was too weak to answer and too delusional to comprehend... What Joe must have felt... Nancy stepped back, keeping Joe's hands. "He was still a little feverish, but he was talking. And he could definitely understand me... I hope." she answered with a half-smile. "I've seen him looking worse." She gave his hands a reassuring squeeze. "I'm not a doctor but something tells me Frank's going to be fine."

"Thanks, Nance." Joe nodded. She couldn't help noticing how his eyes continued to drift in the direction of Frank's room.

"Maybe you should go see him for yourself." she suggested.

"Mom and Dad are already in there-" Joe started. He was cut off by a hand on his shoulder. Laura Hardy had just entered the lounge.

"Frank wants to see you, honey."

Joe dropped Nancy's hands and was off like a shot, leaving Nancy and Laura facing each other in bemused silence.

"Nancy. I'm glad you came." Laura broke the silence, enfolding Nancy in a hug. "I know seeing you made Frank feel so much better."

Nancy dropped her gaze to the floor, blushing. She had nearly forgotten what Laura and Fenton had witnessed in Frank's room a few minutes earlier. "Mrs. Hardy, I... Frank... I didn't realize-" she stuttered.

Laura chuckled. "It's okay, honey. I understand."

Surprised, Nancy met her gaze.

"I'm Frank's mother. I see a lot more than you think." Laura continued with a knowing smile. "I've known you for almost as long as I've known my boys, and I've seen you and Frank together... I've always known Frank felt something special for you, and for you to come now..." she drifted off, remembering a drug bust that had resulted in the shooting of a young NYPD cop over twenty years ago, and the way she had felt when she'd heard the news. He'd only been grazed, but Laura had been treated to her first real glimpse of life without him. She rested a gentle hand on the girl's shoulder. "Sometimes you don't realize how important something is until you almost lose it."

Nancy's eyes shone with unshed tears and she nodded mutely.

Laura pressed a motherly kiss to Nancy's forehead. "I don't imagine you made many travel plans. You just stay at our house for as long as you like."

"Thank you." Nancy whispered, emotion overcoming her as Laura stepped away, joining her husband on the plastic couch. She watched for a moment as Fenton slipped a loving arm around his wife's shoulders, and Laura pecked him on the lips. With a deep breath, she turned away, subtly drying her eyes on her sleeve. She slipped out of the lounge, heading for the front doors. _I need some air._ Turning a corner, she nearly collided with a girl coming the opposite direction. Her eyes widened as she realized who it was. _Oh no._ "Callie!"

The girl's brown eyes narrowed as she looked up at Nancy, pushing long strands of blonde hair back behind her ear, squaring her shoulders defiantly. "Nancy." she said evenly.

"I..." Nancy tried to speak and couldn't. What was there to say in this situation? Frank had told her Callie and he were just friends, but he'd been ill, delusional, maybe... what if there was still something between Callie and Frank?

"I know why you're here." Callie said quietly.

There was an accusatory tone in her voice, and Nancy couldn't really blame her. After all, Nancy and Frank had been extremely close all their lives- including when Callie and Frank had been dating- and there had been a few occasions where they had overstepped the boundaries of friendship. "I'm here to see Frank." she acknowledged.

"Because you're in love with him." Callie finished flatly.

Nancy bit her lip. "Yes, I am."

Callie's brown eyes sparked confrontationally. "Well then, where were you last week, when he was missing?" Here her voice grew watery. "Or two days ago when the doctors said there was nothing else they could do? Where were you then, if you care so much?"

"I came as soon as I heard." Nancy said neutrally. She couldn't let Callie rile her up- fighting with Frank's ex-girlfriend in the middle of a hospital wouldn't help anybody. "Callie, I'm sorry. I do care for Frank, a lot. I have for a long time."

"I suppose that makes it okay to mess around with him while his girlfriend is waiting for him at home."

"I never 'messed around' with him." Nancy protested. She and Frank had almost always remained faithful to their significant others, and even on the few occasions when they did slip and reveal their true feelings, neither ever did so lightly. "But I'm sorry you got hurt. You don't understand. We didn't mean for this to happen."

"Of course you did!" Callie spat. "Frank loves you! You got exactly what you wanted!" She blinked and a tear fell from her eye. She quickly dashed it away with her sleeve. Calming slightly, she commented bitterly, "You know, I guess I _don't_ understand. I'll _never_ understand Frank the way _you_ do. Just like I'll _never_ understand why he was snooping around in that stupid warehouse in the first place." Her voice carried the long-suffering tone of someone who has had the same argument over and over.

Nancy paused for a moment while Callie composed herself, realizing how heartbreaking this must be for the other girl. "I'm sorry, Callie." she said again. "I love him."

Callie lifted her sleeved hand to dry her eyes once more, nodding her understanding. "And here I always thought I'd lose him to a bomb." With that she stepped around the taller girl and continued towards the waiting room.

In the stunned silence that followed her footsteps, Nancy let out a long breath.

* * *

She didn't know how long she'd been sitting on the steps to the hospital's back entrance, just absorbing the events of the past few hours, when Joe interrupted her thoughts.

"Was there a girl fight?"

She punched him lightly in the shin, and he sat down next to her. "Of course not. Don't be a jerk, Joe."

"Sorry. It's just hard to imagine you and Callie talking. I mean, when Frank and I are with you we're usually on a case, and it's like a whole different world from our home life, you know? It's like Thanksgiving with Dad's side of the family and Mom's side- they don't always mesh."

Nancy smiled briefly. "I know. It's always kind of weird when you guys come to River Heights too... It was so terrible to have to talk to Callie like that when I barely know her. I know she must feel awful."

"Yeah, Vanessa's with her. She didn't take the breakup too well. I guess I don't blame her- she and Frank were together forever. It was like she didn't fully realize it was over until you showed up."

"Joe?" Nancy started tentatively. "What happened between them?"

Joe shrugged. "I mean, I don't know the whole story, but they were fighting about our caseload again a couple of weeks ago. Callie always hated having to sit home and worry, but I sometimes think she hated helping more. Granted, we've had a few close calls. I guess I can understand why she'd be less than thrilled about our investigating."

"Right." Nancy agreed.

"Frank suggested they take a break, and then I think Callie dragged you into it. Frank had come clean and apologized to her for whatever happened between you two in Egypt a while ago and I think she never really forgave him." Perhaps seeing the look of crushing guilt on Nancy's face, he grinned and nudged her, adding, "I'm sure whatever it was, it was at least half Frank's fault."

Nancy smiled weakly at the memory of the fleeting kiss she and Frank had shared after a case in Egypt where they'd gone undercover as a married couple.

"Anyway they've been on the outs for the past few days, but once Frank was hurt Callie was right there with him. That's it, Nan. Far as I know he's a free man."

Nancy blushed at his insinuation. "Oh."

"Unless of course you know something that I don't..." he prompted.

Nancy smiled and shrugged. "Maybe I do."

"All right!" Joe crowed, slinging an arm around her shoulders. "Welcome to Bayport, Nance!"

Nancy laughed and leaned into him. "Thanks... you guys are a trip!"

* * *

Frank rubbed his chin and frowned. "Do we have any vehicle sightings?" He was propped up against his pillows, Nancy curled up under his arm, case files spread over their laps.

"Hmm?" Nancy said. "Oh. Just the one. Unmarked van, no plates."

Frank closed the file in front of him. "You seem a little distracted, Nan. Are you all right?"

Nancy blushed. "Sorry, Frank. I'm just feeling a little unfocused. My mind was wandering."

"Wandering to what?" Frank teased warmly.

"This. Everything that's happened. You." Nancy confessed. "Just a few days ago I was sure I'd never see you again, and I'm just amazed by the way everything worked out." She curled into his embrace.

"It worked out perfectly." Frank said, nuzzling her ear with his lips. "Except that these bandages mean I won't be able to take you on a proper date for another 4 to 7 days."

Nancy laughed. "After all this time another few days should be easy."

"It isn't." He planted a sweet kiss on her lips. She returned it enthusiastically, and the case files lay forgotten for a few minutes.

Finally, she voiced the sentiment that had been haunting her since she'd heard about his injury. "I should have said yes to you a long time ago."

"Excuse me?"

"On your 16th birthday, remember?" Nancy said. "I was so stupid back then. I can't believe I turned you down."

Frank could see that she was being serious. "If you hadn't, we wouldn't be here like this right now." he said softly. "We would have lost out on some great relationships with Callie and Ned, and we wouldn't have really realized what's so special about each other."

Nancy's guilty expression eased slightly. "Maybe you're right."

"Well, you're happy, aren't you?"

"So happy." Nancy murmured, capturing his lips once more.

The door opened and Joe walked in, causing them to separate reluctantly. Spotting the files on the bed, Joe folded his arms. "You were working on the case without me?"

"Actually," Frank said, exchanging a sly glance with Nancy, "We weren't."

Nancy reddened and Joe noticed. "Oh... sorry." He took a few steps backward, towards the door.

"Oh, just sit down!" Nancy said, rolling her eyes good-naturedly. Joe obeyed with an excited grin, pulling a chair to the bedside and resting his elbows on his knees. She pressed one of the manila folders into his chest. "That's the file on the first robbery."

"The jewelry store." Joe clarified, flipping it open and scanning over the information. "And the next one was _how_ soon after?"

"Two days." Frank said, shuffling the remaining files around on the bed. "I think Nancy might have something with her three-man theory. When you consider the photos of the crime scene here-"

"And don't forget to take a look at the _official_ report..." Nancy settled herself between the two boys, folding her long legs under her and reaching for a case file, content.

* * *

A/N: Thank you so much to all of my reviewers, and especially to the ones who PMed me to remind me to get my butt in gear and finish this! I hope you liked it. As always, don't forget to review!


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